


The Nekomimi's Saviour

by CuteMushNoBullsh



Category: Original Work
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Racism, Romance, Segregation, Slow Burn, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-11-07 01:56:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17951435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CuteMushNoBullsh/pseuds/CuteMushNoBullsh
Summary: (Nekomimi - Translates from Japanese to 'Cat Ear', often popularised through anime by characters with cat appendages.)A period of time following the dawn of the Medieval Era led to a great and colossal decision for the humans of the northen continents. The Nekomimi, a race of humans 'cursed' with cat-like characteristics and appendages, had 'plagued' the human nation too long. Under the guidance of their king and a sudden influence, the humans passed an order of execution to any such being upon sight of them. No exceptions unless stated by an enforcer of the law.Forced to exile and find refuge away from civilisation, the Nekomimi scattered. A large gathering made a home in a mountain far from the kingdom, where they mostly sealed themselves away; no human had found this place, the odd Nekomimi roaming the forests drawing the scent away.Tak-ral, one such cat hybrid with a passion like all his kind to seek freedom, leads a group on many rescue missions for their kind. But when one such mission takes him to the heart of the kingdom, his perspective of the war, humans and their true nature has many factors thrusted upon him and his heart.





	1. Chapter 1

A quiet, mid-summer's afternoon. The sun sent rays of light through the trees, reflecting on the streams of water that sourced from a river cutting through the middle of a large forest. It was by this river that a group of deer grazed upon the lush grass, undisturbed and unaware of the looming shadow that hung in a nearby tree like an overgrown bird of prey. 

Tak-ral's movements were quick, as was his prey's upon hearing his feet kick off from the free branch. But his blade that would soon find the closest animal's heart through it's chest was quicker than its attempt to escape. The rest of the group of deer fled into the forest, not stopping at the sounds of one of their own in pain for fear of their own survival.

The hybrid of feline and human said nothing, only exhaling the remnants of adrenaline after standing up on the ground once again, hovering over his game. Blood stained his katana, which he cleaned on the grass before sheathing it. He kneeled down before the deer, and protruded his sharp claws to begin his poaching of the unfortunate animal's hide and meat for his own survival.

There was always that pang of guilt that the youthful Tak-ral felt in his chest when killing prey like this. No deer had ever caused harm to him, yet he was forced to kill them for the sake of sustenance and warmth. It was necessary, however, with the Non-endowed cutting off any way for his kind to escape their clutches and attempting to starve them out. He was forced to kill these innocent creatures because of a race of beings that wanted to kill the other simply for having more appendages than them.

Tak-ral now lifted his trophies of meat and hide into a makeshift bag, carrying it over his shoulder as he made his way back to StoneClaw Mountain; the home of the Nekomimi, in the shape of a large cave system within a mountain that they have built into a village for over a century. 

They were almost like deer to the humans, Tak-ral thought. Peaceful beings that wanted nothing more than to survive, have offspring and continue their species' lifeline. But unlike those defenceless creatures who could only run from their predators...

They weren't going to be killed without a fight for their lives.

\---------------

Coming home with enough food for a few days never lost its satisfaction. Having an extra reward of hide to tan into leather, however, was the equivalent of a miracle to Tak-ral. It brought a slight smile to his face as he trekked through the forest; the trees becoming less frequent and dense, along with the ground under the gradually dying bark turning into brown, rough dirt. This contrast of life and death in nature circled around the Nekomimi's home, which was vastly different from the village the humans had resided in.

A large formation of rock and earth stood before Tak-ral. Its peak was coated with a white shade of snow, piercing the sky of blue hiding in the clouds. The grand, looming shadow this formation creates engulfed half of the forest, and made Tak-ral's walk back home closer to a midnight stroll. And to truly make it feel like a home for the Nekomimi, the giant rock formation curved at its middle, forming the shape of a claw piercing through the world and into the sky.

Stone Claw Mountain. Tak-ral's home. And his kind's one and only home.

He now passed through a small crack that opened the mountain at its base, big enough to duck down and almost crouch through, dragging his game behind him. It was the only known entrance to his race, as it had been ever since his ancestors first used it to hide from the wrath of the humans. This miracle lead to the discovery of the mountain's enormous and intricate cave systems. Their new home, big enough for the ancestors to repopulate within the mountain, and progress from sticks and fire to the sight that now was hitting Tak-ral's gaze. And the sight never failed to make him smile proudly of his ancestor's work, and their children' who refined and improved upon it gradually.

Masses of houses, made up of wood, straw and tree leaves, peppered the caves, sectioned in the larger areas with a few smaller ones set up within the caverns connecting the systems together. Torches stuck into the ground lit pathways between each region in a variety of lines. This was not to help the Nekomimi see where they were going, as natural evolution helped them adapt to the complete darkness of the cave, but to help those who got lost reach somewhere with fellow Nekomimi to help them. Although, thankfully, this never was a serious issue.

Tak-ral, after taking a moment to look around the home that he still found hard to believe existed, resumed his trek and took the torch pathway left of the entrance. His trip was short, arriving at the region where his family lived and entering the house that he had lived in for all of his time on this world. His family, consisting of his parents as his older brothers and sisters had moved on to form their own families, now greeted him in usual fashion at his return.

First came his mother, who greeted her son with a hug after running to him from her seat, causing Tak-ral to lose any breath from the sudden attack but laughing as he meowed to her, "I only went for a few moments, Mother.."

"I know..", his parent mewed back in response, "but a few moments without you here is still too much." She was as heartwarming and clingy as ever to her son, but that was just how Tak-ral loved her. He returned the hug with his free arm, dropping his game onto the floor beside the entrance to give her a proper hug that the person who brought him in this world deserved.

Over her shoulder, his eyes met those of his father. The man had almost exactly Tak-ral's features, from their faces to the build of their bodies, only the father's hair was much greyer and long enough to almost touch the floor behind him. He was quite a prominent figure, and someone that, despite his rough exterior, was a man that would always be the father Tak-ral could not have grown up without.

"I can see and smell your successful hunt.." The father's gruff voice broke the silence as his family embraced one another, whom had now seperated so that Tak-ral could go up to his other parent and lower his head before them; a respectful gesture he had been taught to do for any encounter of another male. 

"A rather easy one too..", Tak-ral proudly said as he lifted his head once more, meeting his father's gaze to add in a low mutter, "No sign of 'them' either..not for a few days.." 

While he may have come back with something to help keep his family alive and well, Tak-ral had really went into the forest to spy on the humans. That was, if any appeared, but to his disappointment he was only greeted by wildlife. His mother didn't approve of these actions of his, hence the coverup of hunting to keep her satisfied with him leaving the safety of their home.

The father nodded lightly, not replying to Tak-ral's mutter as he knew exactly what he had meant. Instead, the man now went to his wife and had his turn for a hug, holding her from the side before speaking to his son once again in his low mewls and grunts. "Why don't you go and rest now, son. You'll be joining your friends on that hunt tomorrow, and a true hunter knows when to catch his sleep." The slight joke made Tak-ral's mother groan and poke at her husband, who laughed and patted her shoulder to get her to walk to their room, his eyes going to Tak-ral briefly before they went to their rooms.

They all shared the same floor of the house, with a room they designated for eating splitting their bedrooms by a few walls. They respected each other's privacy, after all. In fact, they seemed to have a lot of respect for each other, as Tak-ral had picked up on. There were few secrets between his family, only those that were necessary for the sake of progress. And if he ended up staying to his word of hunting, Tak-ral wasn't lying to his mother. At least, that's what he hoped. 

Nevertheless, he now found himself on the hide of several deer, sown together by the handiwork of his mother, that lay across the floor of his room. His katana was placed by his right side; a tactic he learned for in the case of an attack while he slept, as he was dominant in the left hand, and the angle for drawing would be too awkward on the matching side. He also had his tail wrapped around the non-sword arm, but for the sake of the comfort that his own fur provided to his skin.

This was one of the only times that he could lower his guard. Safe inside his home, in a near impossible-to-find cave in a mountain surrounded by one of the deepest forests in the land. When he put all of this together, realising how at risk of dying he was without these factors, Tak-ral could only motivate himself to sleep quicker. So that the next day would come, which would only bring him one day closer to the freedom of his kind.

The hunt would begin tomorrow. The hunt of the humans they found camping in the forest a week ago, who he and his fellow warriors had been spying on until they seemed to vanish. But after hearing that a few of his kind's females had gone missing around the time the humans appeared..he wasn't going to let them get away.

Not a single one.


	2. Chapter 2

Dawn hadn't broken over the horizon, consuming the forest in complete darkness, with only the dim lights of a campfire flickering through the branches. The last of the wood within the flames was burning up and making the fire only grow weaker. But it wasn't needed for the men that dwelled by the fire, as most of them were now slept on the ground or in slouched sitting positions. The ones who remained awake to keep watch were occasionally slipping into the tent, which would result in menacing laughter followed by muffled yells of torment. One of the guards who left the tent came out brandishing a small dagger, stained with blood, while the faint whimpers could be heard from wherever the blade had attacked the captives of the humans.

Tak-ral and his fellow Nekomimi had watched these men for almost an hour now, taking positions in the trees and bushes that were close but far enough away to not be places the guards would wander to for release. They were outnumbered by the humans three-to-one, with Tak-ral and his four brethren only having the element of surprise to their advantage. And this element was something that the Nekomimi planned to exploit to the best of his ability. He had to prove to his blood that he was fit to be in this group.

He slowly dropped down from the tree he perched upon, landing with silent footfalls when he spotted a guard going to the tree he had used just an hour ago. All of the foul-smelling brew they had been drinking must have affected them, the Nekomimi thought with slight disgust in his face. He was far more appalled at the idea of what they could have done to their captives; he feared the worst, as he knew the screams belonged to the females of his blood that had went missing. But the best he could do for them was rid them of these foul creatures, the humans that seemed so determined that Nekomimi were the real monsters. 

Tak-ral gave the man a second to experience the shock that was the blade against his throat, pressing him to the tree with a free clawed hand, before slicing it open and letting the human watch as his killer cleaned the blood from his blade in the grass. He was nothing more than a nuisance to Tak-ral, and that was all he would see before slumping to the ground. 

The Nekomimi didn't ponder long. He had began crouch-walking his way closer to the camp, his eyes in the other guard that hadn't noticed the lack of his friend. It wouldn't last long, Tak-ral thought to himself, so he needed to act fast. He raised his hand from the grass, visible to his brethren that shadowed the camp from above and the ground, clenching his fist to give the signal.

Cleanse.

Three arrows made of sticks, chicken feathers and sharpened stone struck from the tree branches, meeting their targets with fatal blows. Two blades of pure steel, forged by the humans, now met their ironic use of stabbing clean through the head and chest of two other humans, with one of them shooting their eyes open and gurgling in their anguish. One more blade, a one that belonged to Tak-ral, had a silent running charge before slashing up the stomach and chest of the last man that was awake, letting him yelp out in pure fear when he had watched the shadow dash towards him and now only had the gleaming eyes of a Nekomimi stare him down. The rest of the humans, either still asleep or suddenly waking to reach for their weapons, were finished off with swords and daggers to their throats; the archers had dropped down from their perches after their arrows struck, with one even jumping down onto a slumbering man, cutting clean into his head with the advantage of developed legs to dampen the drop.

None of this would have been possible for the humans to attempt. The forest engulfed by darkness and the dying light of the fire, a combination that would made the men practically blinded and perfect for this ambush. The Nekomimi's near-perfect vision in the night was something Tak-ral had remembered, and had woken his fellow blood to attack the humans while it was still dark. They were all fatigued and worn from the loss of adrenaline, but they had done it. A small push back against the humans. A message that they weren't giving up their lives just yet.

When the coast was clear of threat, the Nekomimi had delved into the tent without hesitation. He needed to know that the females were safe, and prayed that they weren't too injured.

But what he saw..if there was ever an understatement for the sight that was the inside of the tent, then injured was a perfect cabdidate. The two females were still alive, that much was noticeable. But the looks in their eyes, the complete loss of hope and will to live, was something that emotionally scarred the man. They had several stab wounds all across the bodies that were miraculously still clothed, but he could see that their tails had been stood on and pulled from the unkempt look of their fur, and the slight blood staining them. 

"You're safe now.." The Nekomimi tried to meow in comfort to them, slowly kneeling down and cutting open their binds, releasing them from the wooden post that the had been tied to. 

They both looked at him, their eyes full of distrust and anguish. It was enough to wrench at Tak-ral's heart, with his hand reaching out towards one in an attempt to comfort them. But that female had immediately flinched her head away in a yelp, running out of the tent and into the presence of her other blood. Tak-ral lowered his hand, gulping down his emotions for the sake of the other girl that was staring at him in complete fear.

"It's okay..." He said to her, his eyes closing when he realised why the first ran away at the sight of him. Tak-ral moved his tail from underneath his shirt, letting it flow loosely behind him. The girl looked immediately relieved, but still had a heavy amount of tears running down her face. With slow movements, Tak-ral helped the captive up onto her feet, walking out of the tent to join his brethren; the first female now hiding into the side of one of the larger Nekomimi, shaking from causes far worse than the cold.

"Many thanks to all of you. You made this day possible, and for that we can be pleased knowing that we set the humans back in their conquest." Tak-ral announced to his fellow Nekomimi, his purrs and meows prominent in the silence. "Let's go home." The fire had now burnt out completely, casting complete darkness over the Nekomimi. They were done here.

And with that, the cavalry of hybrids marched back to the safety of their home. They were tired, having to carry each other from the weariness and for the sake of keeping the captives on their feet, but a sense of accomplishment had filled the air around them. 

As for Tak-ral, he felt..distant. Yes, he was extremely pleased to see that his plan was a success, and the humans stood no chance in their attack. But now that it was done, doubts started to fill the gap of worry that had previously been in his mind. Could he have done more? Perhaps if they had arrived sooner, then the females would be in much better condition? 

It was something about the look they had given; a gaze full of despair, a look that a being would give when they truly believed that their life was over, and wished for it to just end. Humans caused his brethren to endure that feeling, and possibly even more so if they hadn't arrived sooner. 

Tak-ral didn't think his hatred for the human race could become any purer. But he was wrong. Very, incredibly wrong. He didn't care that it wasn't him that was affected by this ordeal. All that he cared about was that it happened to his kind; to the beings that had done nothing to deserve such a cruel fate. 

And now, the hybrid couldn't wait to avenge these females, to kill all those that would dare try to follow suit with the men they had slain in their sleep. He promised that to himself, and knew that one day, he would get that chance to act upon that vengeance.

Starting with their leader.

\----------

Almost a hundred miles away from StoneClaw Mountain, the human civilisation thrived within the glorious city they had built from the ground up. The city was large, and home to many markets that sold silk, fish and jewelry to the residents, in the hopes of getting enough money to import rare materials; such was the economy that was developed within the many civilisations of the world. Something that the Nekomimi would not even dare to establish, for the greediness of it all seemed too much for their kind's family nature.

Past the large marketplaces, upon the higher ground that marked the centre of the city, there stood the taller buildings made of stone. This was where the leaders and high-class families dwelled, watching over the lower class like the peasants they were. 

The daughter of one of these higher class men, however, didn't partake in this game of power and rule. At least, not when she was able to avoid it.

"Absolutely ridiculous", a muffled voice of a woman could be faintly heard as the world came clearer into view. "Oh come now, Aria. the least you can do for your father is wake up for breakfast."

A few groans came from the blanket that the girl known as Aria used as a barrier between her and the reality that was calling to her. And in the voice of her maid, Sophia, who was double her age yet somehow more energetic and upbeat than the teenage girl that was refusing to be coaxed out of bed. It was already a lost battle, however, as was every other time Sophia had her way.

"Fine..", Aria's voice grumbled from underneath the bedsheets, which moved in shape and dropped from the girl's head as she sat up straight. The fair shade of brown in her waist-long hair reflected partially in the sunlight, matching her dark brown eyes. Her skin was very pale, as she was mostly kept within the castle, yet smooth as well. And as she stood up from the bed in her nightdress, her small build of a body looked rather small to the fully grown adult woman that was now smiling in slight relief.

"And here I was to think that you would never be seen again.", Sophia joked with a chuckle at her own words. If there was one way Aria would describe her, it would definitely be about her ability to make everyone and herself laugh. It was actually rather inspiring from someone in a position like a servant.

Aria grumbled in response to the jab, moving to get changed in front of the mirror in the corner of the room. She was silent as she got dressed, only speaking again when she changed into a dress suitable for presentation; according to the opinion of her father, that is. 

Aria picked up her brush to fix her hair, her hands mechanically reaching to where it was and brushing the same way she always had for many years. While this occured, she turned to face Sophia.

The maid had already busier herself with fixing the bed sheets. While she knew fine well that Aria didn't need her service to be happy, Sophia did this for her as an act of kindness over duty. It made the teenager grateful to have someone who was, if she was honest, the better mother figure in her life.

"You'd better head off, dear. I'll sort all this out. You aren't the first person that needed discarded clothes to be cleaned." 

The sentence would've been normal to Aria, but Sophia's sly chuckle made her groan and only quicken her pace to the door. 

"That won't ever be like that!", Aria proclaimed in a frustrated tone, feeling her cheeks burn a crimson as her mind clicked on what Sophia hinted. "Goodbye for now!" she announced as she walked out, in an attempt to get Sophia's laughter to silence, but to no immediate avail.

The girl sighed as she walked through the familiar corridor that led to the main hall. 'She always has to bring that up..but what if that never happens? What if I don't want that? I sure haven't been convinced that its anything for me.'

She recounted on the couple of times that her father forced a meeting with princes from across the lands. The few men that she had the great displeasure of seeing may have been objectively handsome; some even charming, at a stretch. But none of them felt..real. A sense of duty and force was always present whenever she spoke with them. They never showed any real emotion for her, only wide eyes and wider purses of gold and gifts to shower her in. 

Aria wanted none of that. It was all just fake, illusionary even. She had riches already, she had everything her subconscious felt satisfied with owning. But if there really wasn't anyone who would just love her, a simple task to Aria, and could only be suitable for her if they were a prince her father could make an alliance with..what was the point?

So, when she was greeted by the sight of her father welcoming a wealthy-looking man to the table, taking a seat next to hers and immediately looking at her when she appeared, Aria could only mold a polite smile to them all.

"Good day to you" may have been her spoken words, but her mind was rolling in constant repeat with words that only boldened with each encounter.

'Here we go again.'


	3. Chapter 3

"And you're certain that they would be there?" 

Tak-ral asked his father this question with a slight tone of concern, standing outside the Grand Gathering. This was the largest house built within StoneClaw Mountain, acting similarly to a command centre. And within, there were six of the elder Nekomimi males and females that would be the conjoined voice of order within the community. And now, one had passed down information to Tak-ral's father, who was now doing the same for the young Neko himself and his group.

"Yes, son." He responded to the boy's inquiry with a low mewl. "We have had word of the humans using our kind as slaves; much worse than what you found in that human camp in the forest. The elders have requested you to go with our Human-Tongues, and see what you can do." 

The group behind Tak-ral seemed to shift around and fidget with their claws and weapons; clearly, they weren't fully with this plan of action. And one of them eventually spoke out their unified concern, walking up to the two debating Nekomimi and speaking in a quiet mewl.

"But sirs..how can we be sure that they won't just imprison us too? We should at least sc-"

Tak-ral raised a clawed hand to signal the younger male to silence thenselves, speaking when they had done so. "You may be right. The humans are quite advanced in their weapons. But..remember how we managed to overcome that campsite? We had the element of surprise on our side, and there's nothing stopping us from executing that plan again." 

He wasn't raising his voice or trying to be intimidating. In fact, Tak-ral was trying to show the rational and logical side of the elder's decision. It was difficult, certainly, but it was not impossible, and that attack on the camp had proved that the Nekomimi were very capable of fighting back.

"Now, brother, are you with me?" Tak-ral asked the younger Nekomimi, offering a hand for them to grab, to show their agreement and bond to their leader. It was common tradition throughout the various groups and their leading Nekomimi.

A look of deep thinking was present on the Nekomimi's face in the faint torchlight, their mind clearly mulling over whether they were willing to risk their life by entering the most dangerous place any of them could be. But, eventually, they nodded and took Tak-ral's wrist in their grip, while he did the same for theirs. 

"Yes..sir. I will join you on this mission. As will the rest of us." they replied with a meow of determination, their fellow Nekomimi standing by them and waiting for Tak-ral's orders.

All while the father of the young Neko smiled at his only son, seeing him be the leader that he was never able to be. A rather touching moment to the older man, although his parental instincts still made him fear for what may come of this mission.

"My deepest gratitude." The purr of a pleased Nekomimi came from Tak-ral, his hand now pulling away from the bonding hold. "Prepare yourselves. I will join you all soon." He needed to get himself ready; should this task be as dangerous as his fellow nekos feared, then a sharpening of his blade would be in order. Tak-ral turned to walk away, only to be stood face to face with his father. 

No words were spoken this time. Both of the male's eyes met, and a silent agreement formed between them; yes, his mother wouldn't be pleased, but perhaps the release of many of their brethren would make her see that he was ready. Tak-ral placed a hand on his father's shoulder while bowing his head, a few strands of his black locks parting from his hair due to the angle. And once he lifted his head back up with his hand lowering to his side, that was when he left his father to head for the Stone; A piece of rock that jutted out at waist level, this was what most of the Nekomimi used as a grindstone of sorts. Tak-ral unsheathed his katana, about to sharpen the blunt metal until a slight whimper was heard behind him.

He turned around, confusion and vigilance making him point the blade to where he heard the sound, only to see the Nekomimi female that it belonged too. The one of the few he had saved from the campsite not long ago, although now that she was dressed in cleaner attire and had been washed of the dirt and blood on her body, she looked much healthier than earlier.

"You..saved me." she had mewled in a nervous tone, as he still had the blade drawn to her, which was inches from her chest. Tak-ral lowered it carefully, looking at her and feeling a smile play at his lips.

"Of course. I saved you and the others from those vile creatures. What they had done to you is something I never want anyone else to endure.." he replied, his voice a little softer than earlier with his group; there wasn't a need to be persuasive or encouraging at this point, he thought. Although he was very grateful to this girl for acknowledging his actions. It gave him a sense of achievement, at least higher than it normally would be.

The girl now approached him, not too fast but with a slow stride until she was inches from him. Without a word, she took his free hand into both of hers and pressed her lips to the back of it; a sign of deep gratitude between a male and female Nekomimi. 

But..it didn't affect Tak-ral as he first thought it would. He expected to feel something more than just gratitude. Something bigger than just a smile to don his face as she kissed his hand. Why? Why was he so unaffected by this woman's action? The questions brought a sense of frustration in his mind, but he hid his true thoughts with his words to the girl as she let go of his hand. 

"You're too kind..thank you. Please..try and stay safe here." he told the girl, a voice of concern present in his meows and purrs. He didn't want to have to see her, or anyone else, as he had seen them in the campsite. Although he could only imagine the city left them a worse state.

The female Nekomimi beamed and bowed her head to who she felt was her superior. "I will. But I hope you'll be safe too..there's not many nice people like you around here." And with that, she looked at him a last time before leaving Tak-ral by the Stone. 

Tak-ral felt a tinge of emptiness as he watched her walk away. It wasn't initially because of her letting him be alone; more so that he was still pondering on why he never reacted more to the other sex of his kind. It made him feel like he was being picky. Or, and it was something he feared, that perhaps he just couldn't find a suitable partner for himself. Maybe he wasn't meant to. 

All he knew was how to fight, and how to fight for his family. And perhaps that was all Tak-ral would ever know. 

His blade lay on the stone, dragging across until sparks briefly lit up the area around him, the brief moments between sharpening leaving him in darkness.

\----------

Aria's blade cut into the freshly cooked pie filled with apple on her breakfast plate, freeing a slice for her to cut an adequate piece for her fork. She was more focused on what her food looked like than the garbled voice ensuing from the prince sitting at the table with her family. 

"...and that was when I caught my first deer. Just when I was a little one, and probably only half the size of you, Princess Aria." the young man boasted, a mug of ale in one hand and the other playing with a ring emblazoned with a sapphire on his second finger. 

Aria remembered why she had decided to look down the second she had taken her seat; this Prince Lagneía was a rich eyesore. His clothing consisted of a yellow to a shining gold colour for his clothes and jewelry respectively. And the girl was quite surprised at how much metal a man could wear, considering all of his fingers had a different jeweled ring that glinted in the light from the windows behind and in front of her. She wasn't sure what it was about it, but seeing a man flaunt his wealth with their appearance felt..oddly discouraging for any interaction. Much like staring at the boiling sun for too long, which is ill advised and best to rarely glance at. Hence why her response was just as dull but forcefully polite than the rest of her words.

"My my, learning to kill things when you were still a kid. I'm surprised all your golden rings didn't weigh your sword arm down." she jabbed without much expression to her face; it wasn't even amusing to make fun of him, since he seemed to be quite offended and insisting on impressing a woman that had no interest.

"Hmph, very amusing. But you won't be finding it as funny when I bring you your very own slave as a gift. I hear those hybrids are very obedient and useful; perhaps that would win your heart and hand for me?" The prince had a tone that seemed to be torn between persuasion and frustration. And the mix only came off as desperation to Aria. 

A weight fell upon the woman's mind, freezing time for a moment as the Prince's words were fed through her ears. Vivid images of the hybrids he spoke of, ones she had seen be taken in chains to be imprisoned and enslaved, flitted over her vision for a moment. But that moment was enough for her face to set in a stern look at Lagneía. Any patience she had for this man had quickly began to drought. "I think I will be making my way for sewing now. Perhaps I can even make adequate clothing for this..hybrid..you wish to bribe me with." 

Her words were spat in a cold tone to the man opposite her seat. Aria had enough of him; it would certainly be a record for how long it took a man to make her despise them. Excusing herself, she rose from her seat and left her barely touched pie to fester on the plate, and the prince with more than enough of a hint. Making her way to the hall entrance and back up one of the floors, Aria was halted by the scuffles of rushed footsteps that could only resemble her elderly father's running. 

"Aria..darling." he rushed out, getting her attention enough for her to halt at the foot of the stone steps and turn to face him. Her face was expressing a sense of impatience that encouraged the King to persist. "You realise that you can't be just sending this man off like he is a common beggar. He's the royal heir to the throne of our allies; how can you just throw him away? Do you not realise-"

"I know full well that marrying him will make our kingdom practically immovable. You have told me many times..but how many times must you hear this man's disgusting stories and promises before you realise your own daughter has to be the mother of his children?"

This would have brought a long silence between the two. But after the same points being shot back and forth between their feuding opinions at every chance for a stronger alliance, the man wasn't taking it again. "This isn't just a game of love for you, silly girl. We need this alliance, more than any other..Lagneía has offered plenty of garrisons and fresh food and weapons. We need it to rid us of that vermin lurking in the forests. You've heard of what they've done to women like you, have you not?" 

Now it was Aria who was silenced for a moment. Not out of a lack of words to say, but from too many she could ask in response. 'Are they really that bad..?' was one of the many, although her response contrasted with the inquiries. "Well..perhaps they just have to resort to desperate tactics if all you want to do is kill them for being different. How are we to know that they aren't just like we are, and that we can just get alo-"

"Lies! Utter blasphemy, child!" the elder man cracked in a fierce tone, shutting his daughter up with the fear she had come to grow used to, as painful as it was. "You are to marry that Prince in that hall in five sunrises from now. No more of these games with you, is that understood?" 

"Y..Yes, Father." Aria wanted to protest. She desired a means to make her father change his mind, or at least give her more time to prepare. But his fierce grip on everything to do with her life made any firther resistance a waste of energy. "I'll..excuse myself now." But she still could leave to her room, her place of nearly pure solitude, which she had done so before her father could say more.

A swift gust of wind filled Aria's bedroom, followed by the thud of her body against her bed. There were no other sounds in the room that seemed to be frozen in time, aside from the woman's infrequent sobs.

"I..heard everything, dear." A soft, friendly voice came from behind Aria, the girl being on her front and holding her sheets to her eyes, as if trying to make the world vanish and save her from what she would have to endure in the coming days. But the voice, recognisable to her very instinctively, helped encourage her to move up into a sitting position. Although she was still facing away from the doorway that she assumed was being occupied by her maid.

It took a few moments for the sobbing to stop; the tears were more from fear than aggression towards the man she hadn't heard yell in a long time. With mustered courage, she looked over to one of her only trusted friends, a quiet tone donning her shaky words.

"I'm leaving." Her decision, while being made at this moment, was a one that had become more encouraging at each reason to rid herself of this dreadful castle. "I'm running away, as soon as possible..to hell with the marriage. And that dreaded Prince."

Sophia listened to the girl's words, taking in the sight of her being at one of her weakest states, until taking the time to move to the bed with a hand reach it out to hold her shoulder. 

A smile played at the maid's features, almost like a fantasy world of hers coming true when she spoke in response. "That is one of the smartest decisions you have made, milady."


	4. Chapter 4

The mission was now underway. Tak-ral, along with his fellow nekos, were now making their way towards the main entrance to the grand city that teemed with human life. A slow, slumbering march of the Nekomimi into an open-top box of stone that could very well become their tomb, should they make a wrong move.

They were trusting their disguises with their likelihood of survival; the robes and armour the camp guards wore were bestowed upon the group, allowing them to wear clothes that would hopefully be more believable than their other stolen rags. Four of the nekos, the ones with the best tongues in the foreign language, wore these guard outfits, while the other six stayed with their rags. Their weapons were being carried by one of the guard imposters; the entire image was one that they hoped would come off as the camp guards capturing more hybrids and bringing them to the city for enslavement. Tak-ral, being the least experienced with human language, was positioned near the back, next to the imposter with the weapons; the best fighter should be the first to draw.

"Hold." A gruff voice from a real guard came from the entrance. Two of these humans were garrisoned outside the looming archway, the one who spoke now standing before one of the imposters. Tak-ral glanced up at his accomplice, the breath in his chest seeming to halt as he watched intently. "State your business."

"We have prisoners. We found them in the woods." The first imposter spoke, his tone a little shaky and his delivery weaker than the guard's. Tak-ral begun to get worried, a twitch in one of his loosely bound hands to reach for the sword, but he stilled himself. It wasn't over yet.

The real guard looked at the imposter with a face of a deep, quizzical expression. His beetle black eyes then loomed over the captives, meeting with Tak-ral's. Acting on instinct, the neko growled at the guard with his hair standing up slightly, his ears raising a little from the black mess of locks.

Grimacing at Tak-ral, the guard looked back to the imposter and nodded. "Head on in..think the slaver will love the new blood." The man moved out of the way along with the other guard, who had his hand on his sword handle up to this point. Not taking a second glance, the imposters and captives marched into the city, a dark shadow cast upon them by the archway until they emerged in the scorching light of the sun.

Dozens of humans rushed back and forth around the markets, all of various ages. Children looked up at the captives as they walked past, torn between staring and sniggering at the ears on top of their heads. Some of the adults even began to jeer and boo at the nekos as they were taken past the markets; the imposters were feeling the hatred as well, having to keep solemn faces as they endured the various names and insults being shot their way. It made the march to the 'slave yard' only more grueling.

It was as their scouts had described. Beside one of the larger buildings of the city, there was a large area of ground, stripped of all grass and plant life. An old and rickety wood fence, accompanied with a small gate, kept this area apart from the rest of the path. Giant pillars, which were raw tree trunks hammered into the earth and chains of iron fitted into the bark, stood in various places of this yard. Attached to them, at least twenty nekos, a few bound to each pillar by their wrists and ankles, their iron chains shaking at their feeble attempts to shake them free. Earlier, as told by the scouts, these hybrids would fight and squirm with all their might to free themselves. But now, they seemed to be mere shells of themselves, their eyes seeming to have lost any light behind them, only to dim more at the sight of guards and new captives approaching the yard.

'Disgusting..Cruel.' Those were the words that now echoed in Tak-ral's thoughts. He was soon stopped however, as was the rest of the group, as a loud voice commanded the imposters to halt. Looking over, he felt his hair stand on edge. There stood a man, embellished with a lot of golden clothing, from his headpiece all the way down to his boots, even on the handle and cross-guard of his sheathed sword. His armour noisily clanked as he approached the first imposter, looking at him with a posed smile.

"New fodder, eh? Good catch, sirs..I think the princess would love one of these boys, don't you agree?"

Tak-ral's eyes followed the man's as they both turned to look behind the golden knight. And there, somewhat away from the group, stood the princess. The neko's eyes widened a little at the sight of her; not because of her looks, but of the expression she had on her face. A one of disgust, yet it was still present when she had looked up to the man, rather than at the sight of the hybrids.

"Prince Lagneía, I don't know how many times I must tell you that I don't need another servant. Sophia is perfectly fine." the woman responded to Lagneía, who seemed to be denying her refusal and looking at all of the nekos one by one.

"Oh come now, Aria. Look at all of them..so full of life. I bet they would all give up their pathetic families if it mea-"

A unified chorus of hisses and growls followed the man's words. It wasn't just Tak-ral, who had done so upon instinct, but even the other captives and imposters had done the same. However, all of the latter immediately turned pale at the realisation of what they had just done.

"Did..did you just..?" Lagneía had begun to stammer, his own skin growing pale. He took a couple of steps back, his hand slowly going form the handle of his sword. "What is this?! Explain yourself!"

The imposters all stared at the man for a moment. They all seemed to glance at each other, then at the captives, and all gave small nods. They had been rumbled. But it was in a much better place this time.

The air so in filled with the sound of grunts and tearing of rope as the captives set themselves free from their loose bindings, Tak-ral immediately grabbing his sword from the pile and then chucking a few to his fellow captives. "Go, get the prisoners." he called to his brothers, he himself running towards Aria and Lagneía, the latter of which had now stopped trying to reach for his sword and practically yelped as he ran to the castle. "Back you vermin! I'm a royal Prince, you can't hurt me! Guards! GUARDS! KILL THEM!"

The nearby patrols of guards had picked up on the calls for help, a few looking at the foreign Prince running into the castle and then turning to see the group of nekos that were now trying to free the captives. Getting the picture, they soon made a rush for the slave yard, a couple going into the castle to get reinforcements. 

Tak-ral, who had come to a halt after watching Lagneía flee, which was far from what he had expected, now looked at the woman he heard be called Aria. She had stayed in her place, also looking puzzled but amused at the Prince's actions, now turning to face the neko and freeze slightly with fear.

Their eyes met. And from her gaze of fright, yet a stance that showed she was determined to not flee, Tak-ral was hesitant with his blade he had now drawn and pointed at her chest. Part of him feared she was just jesting with her expression, that she would be just like the Prince and gladly murder them all. But his instinct was what kept him from thrusting the blade into her heart, his hand shaking a little as he lowered it to the ground. He could see that her eyes had widened, her lips parting as if to speak.

But that was when the neko's eyes looked past the woman's head, seeing a few guards running up with their swords drawn. Looking behind him, he could see a few others were now in combat with his brothers. Acting on a whim to save the rest of his group, he turned back to Aria. With almost an expression of regret, he clutched an arm around her, pushing her to be facing away from him and pressed to his chest with her arms held in his grip. The katana blade hovered in front of her throat, the neko now looking directly at the guards who seemed to have halted at the sight. He had some leverage over them now, but he prayed that it would work.

A few hisses and growls came from Tak-ral as he stood with an intimidating glare to the guards. He wanted to speak, to order them to stand down, to leave his brethren alone. But..it was hopeless. To them, his demands were nothing but growls and flicks of his black tail behind him. And the cruel men ended up slowly laughing, looking at him and then gesturing to the yard. "Well..you might take her. But we have your friends now, cat." One said, smirking as the neko looked over and saw the sight he had feared to see.

Blood was spilled. Bodies had fallen, weapons that couldn't save them laying by their sides. And while a few guards had their lives taken, more of the group had been slain, both imposter and captive alike. And the rest, the renaming four of his group, were now being shackled and dragged towards the pillars. A great sense of guilt, fear and regret fell upon the neko, his ears dropping down along with his tail. 'I left them..what have I done?' Tak-ral thought to himself.

Turning back to the jeering guards, the hybrid had a stony expression that seemed to pulse with hatred in his eyes. But he had an idea, a one that could at least save him to fight another day. And hopefully correct his errors of the losses he and his kind had suffered. 

He pulled his blade away from Aria's neck, and then helped her move away by giving her a light shove on the back, glancing at her as she looked at him in deep confusion before taking the chance to run into the castle, away from the fighting.

Having no one else to hold him back, Tak-ral now took his stance with his sword drawn in a guarding stance with both hands. His eyes formed slits, his pupils darting between each of the three guards before him. He had no element of surprise, no means to escape without being chased down. 'Just one', he thought, 'just one less'. He had his sights on the one who had spoken before, who now had an expression of confused anxiety at what the hybrid was doing. A few seconds passed, until the first guard charged towards Tak-ral, his large pike pointing towards the neko's gut. 

The heavy weapon meant Tak-ral was able to easily dodge the attack, backing up to the side as the guard struck the air he used to be in, managing to recover in time to block Tak-ral's blade from cutting his neck. A power struggle occurred, both warriors pushing their weapons forward to knock the other over, only for Tak-ral to kick at the guard's leg and disorient him as his ears flicked from the movement around him. He was surrounded.

It was one of his most fearful moments. Tak-ral had to dodge and block all of the guards' attacks; two had long piles to sweep and jab at the neko, while the other tried to sneak in a few strikes with his dagger. But eventually, one of the pikemen had stumbled, wlexhaution kicking in from swinging the long staff of a weapon. Taking this opportunity, Tak-ral ran his katana directly through the armoured chest of the guard, going through his back and having to use his foot to push the corpse from his blade. But his victory came at a cost, for the dagger he had a difficult time avoiding had managed to slash across his raised leg, tearing the ragged clothing and drawing blood with a yelp from the neko. He had done what he needed, however; he had an escape route. Quickly shoving the guard with the dagger and then taking the dead guard's cape to fling in the direction of the remaining pikeman, he ran. He ran incredibly fast, his blade still drawn by his side and his breath heavy as he found the nearest exit. An archway stood just in front of him, leading off directly to the forest. His freedom. Tak-ral ducked his head as a guard positioned at the archway swung their mace to where his head would have been, rushing off into the bushes of the forest. All while behind him, the sound of an alarm bell rang into the sky, the city now much noisier than when he had entered.

Had he not have been so agile, Tak-ral was sure he would have died, right then and there. Never had he had to fight three men at once, especially not city guardsmen, and the stress of three potentially lethal blades swinging in his direction had almost proved too much for him. But he was alive. Alive, and now hiding in a tree he had barely enough energy to climb. 

He examined the wound on his leg, flinching slightly as he touched the long slash across his calf; it was bound to leave a scar, but it would certainly be the biggest the neko had endured. And the cost that followed thus scar, why exactly he had suffered this pain, was something he was now mulling over in his head. The sight of his dead brothers, the ones who seemed to glare at him as they were tied up with the others at his failure. 'Its my fault..all of it. I killed them'.

That revelation sunk all the way down his body, leaving an uncomfortable weight at the pit of his stomach. Such guilt had never been something he had felt, but he wished that he didn't have to know what it felt like.

A crack of twigs came from below. The sound of rushed breathing followed, a rustling of clothes making the neko's ears stand on edge, his posture changing so that he was on his hands and knees on the tree branch. He peeked down to the ground, his eyes landing upon a familiar set of hair, accompanying a back of a different set of clothes. She was carrying a large sack in one hand, the other holding a small dagger with a rusted blade. She looked around, trying to find a way to walk towards, it seemed, until she turned fully to face the tree Tak-ral was hiding on. The face..he had seen it before. Only moments ago, even.

'Aria.'


	5. Chapter 5

'That coward..'

Aria was still dumbfoundedly amused at the actions of her 'Prince'. The man who seemed so hardy and powerful had just fled at the sight of hybrids in the city, not even bothering to try fighting the attackers. And leaving Aria to the mercy of one that-

She stopped walking for a moment, needing to catch her breath. As she took a seat on a fallen tree, her mind jogged back to that moment, when it was just her and that Neko. He seemed so prepared to kill her right there, yet she had seen his face suddenly change as he lowered the blade. 'Why? Why spare me?' It was all that had went through her mind the entire way to the castle, his piercing eyes looking into hers as if seeing right through her feigned bravery. All of the stories she had heard, the proposed savagery of these creatures..it didn't make sense anymore. Not after what she had seen. And because of that hybrid's actions, Aria was helped by Sophia to pack essential clothes and belongings, and managed to sneak out of the city whilst the guards were distracted by the rescue attempt. Despite it being an attack on where she lived, Aria could only hope they survived. Her mind was a shattering mirror of thoughts; none of them piecing together in her mind, just laying in her vision without any desire to fix them. She had ran away from home, ran away from all of her problems. But, with no clear place of safe haven in sight..she felt more vulnerable than before. Almost as if she was being wat-

A snap of a twig. The thud of the broken piece of bark, and two thuds that were followed by a slight grunt of pain. Aria had heard all of these, turning to face their source, just as a blade drew up to her throat, the end shaking in front of her quivering neck. Her eyes followed the steel all the way to the hand brandishing it. Black claws..not as extended as she remembered them, but the fingers had a tight grip on the blade ready to kill her. The arm leading up to the chest had clearly been molded into shape from his many experiences in combat; the few scars and nips on his tanned skin being the evidence. And soon, she had looked her ambusher in the face. A face that she had seen in this exact scenario before, but the flame that was behind those eyes almost seemed..gone. Along with something else she couldn't quite figure out.

It made sense to her suddenly. As she stood there, frozen in place at the sorrowful hybrid's mercy, her expression was now torn between fear and sympathy for the poor creature. "I'm sorry.." It was the only words she could manage, feeling as if the blade had mentally constricted her speech from its presence. Her eyes had now locked onto his, praying for something to change his mind. As it had done before. Before he was alone...doubt started to creep in Aria's thoughts at that memory jolt.

The blade didn't pull away. But rather, it was dropped. 

The neko groaned in pain, the hair and ears on his head standing up while the katana fell out of the hand that now rested on his knee. Aria's eyes followed down to his leg, the sight of the red, jagged lines of blood making her shudder a little. She hadn't seen many injuries, at least none that were worse than a cut finger from a kitchen knife. But now that he was pulling away, trying to tend to a wound that he clearly had no experience fixing, she couldn't help but feel sympathy for the poor creature.

"Hey..you're hurt."Aria had no idea if the hybrid could understand what she meant. Could he even speak her tongue? "Here.." she then tried approaching him, taking a step as her arms reached out to his leg.

A low hiss came from his fanged mouth. Aria froze, now watching as the neko stepped back in a stance low to the floor, his knees bent and his back lowered. The eyes were now looking up to her, the growls continuing but were separated by slight groans of pain as well. 

"Oh come on.." the woman exclaimed a little louder now, starting to become impatient of his persistent avoidance. "I don't have any weapons. Just let me get you cleaned up. You could get infected." As she spoke, she chose to move closer to him, following him as he tried to crawl backwards at a faster pace than her walking.

He only stopped when his tail had swayed too angrily, touching the water of the stream that was running behind him. Thus caused him to freeze and the fur on his tail to stand on end, his body now shaking slightly after the shock.

It took some effort for Aria to not be amused by this; of course he would be afraid of water, why wouldn't he be? But it was still some joy to her that he wasn't able to move away now. She kneeled down on the grass, their heads now level and their eyes meeting. She could have easily just went away, leaving this neko to tend to himself while she ran free. 

But free to where, anyway? 

"Good. Now show me your leg." she insisted now, her face expressing a rather stern look upon the hybrid, almost as if scolding him.

It seemed to work. With an almost reluctant expression, he slowly moved to sit down, his legs out in front of him. His hands then moved down, lifting the torn fabric from his leg to show Aria the wound. 'Well, he can understand me at least' she thought to herself as her eyes went down to her wound.

It was deep. The gash that was left in his leg had clearly come from a blade, presumably one of the guards had gotten a hit on him. The blood made it look much worse than it was, thankfully, for she couldn't see that it had broken through the muscle too much. "Thank you..now stay right there." she told him as she went to the stream on her knees, cupping water into her hands and then taking it over to pour gradually onto the wound.

As the blood cleared away, the neko growled in more anguish than before. She glanced at his hands, which were clenching his ragged trousers and poking through the fabric with elongated claws, but she could see he was trying his best. So she contunued, clearing away all of the blood and hopefully any bad bacteria from the wound. Now that she could see its shape more clearly, she had an idea of how big of a bandage he needed.

Without hesistation, she took the katana that was on the floor, using the blade to make a small hold near the bottom of her dark green silk dress, which then allowed her to pull it wider until an uneven strip of the fabric was torn off, leaving the dress to be under her knees rather than by her ankles. 

"There we go..almost done." Aria tried to say encouragingly to the neko. But even she was worried as well; what she was doing was only something that Sophia had briefly explained before her departure. And their final hug and words, which Aria couldn't help but feel like that would be the last time she saw the maid that helped her escape.

She tried to not let her tears block her vision, her hands wrapping the fabric around the neko's leg and tying it in a firm knot, moving away to admire her handiwork as a means to distract her mind. "There..try that." she said to him in a soft tone, looking up at his eyes once again.

He was sitting closer now, more on his knees. And his eyes were on her face, his head tilted as if questioning something. His lips slowly, a soft tone that sounded more like a purr coming out. "Tak..ral. Tak-ral." It sounded like he was really struggling to say his words, which at first made no sense to Aria. But when he gestured to himself while saying "Tak-ral" a third time, she slowly understood.

"Oh..Tak-ral?" she asked while nodding her head towards this neko known as Tak-ral, whom nodded in agreement. "I see..I'm Aria. Aria." she had responded while gesturing to herself in a similar way to him.

"A..Ar-eee-a." the neko said slowly back, his face squished up slightly as he tried to mouth her name to himself, then trying again. "Areera..Ar..."

Now Aria had to let out a giggle; it was too much to hold back her amusement of him trying to learn her name. "Its okay, Tak-ral. I'm sure you'll get better." she tried to encourage him, her hand reaching out and patting his shoulder in a gentle manner. "I..don't think i should leave. Not until you're healed. Okay?"

Tak-ral seemed hesitant at that. He had looked away for a moment, his ears flicking a little as if different thoughts were coming up to try and weigh his decision. But eventually, he looked back and nodded, a soft meow coming out of his mouth which she could only assume was a yes.

"Great." she responded with a soft smile. It was the first time she had smiled in such a long while, at least genuinely. And a sense of relief seemed to wash over her as she realised that at least she wouldn't be alone. He was a neko, but he was company. And she was already finding him a lot more bearable than that prince. 

She watched as Tak-ral managed to lift himself from the grass, applying as little weight to his leg as he could. He still ended up sucking breath in through his teeth, but he was at least able to stand up now. He looked down to Aria, then the katana that lay next to her, then back to Aria once again.

She gulped. A sudden thought of dread had came to mind when he looked between her and the weapon. 'Is he making a choice..? Is he going-?'

Her thoughts were cut off as the neko reached down, picked up his blade and looked down upon the woman once again. Their eyes met, his own seeming to be lightening up a little, but her own were starting to grow wide with fear. 

The blade was raised, and then slowly sheathed back into its holder on Tak-ral's belt. He was looking at her still, his head now giving a soft nod. A gesture of welcoming, she hoped.

Tak-ral now began to explore the area around them, using his claws to cut through some bushes to explore them further, his eyes scanning all around the grass. He managed to find a few rocks, which were big though for him to lay down in a circle on the floor near the larger stone. He then collected the branches and twigs that had fell from the trees, placing this inside the rock circle along with some leaves.

Aria could only watch in curiosity, seeing how this neko was so adequately prepared for survival. Of course, this was his life. Every day, she imagined, this was the sort of task he had to do to even get A good meal and a place to sleep. Pangs of guilt followed these thoughts, as if somehow it was her fault that the nekos had to live like this.

With a few scratches of rocks, Tak-ral managed to light the wood and leaves in the rock circle, turning it into a rather nice campfire pit. The flames started low at first, but a few blows from his mouth allowed the sparks to ignite more of the wood.

"Thank you." Aria spoke finally, even shocking herself with the sudden sound of her voice. It was the only thing she could really say in response to Tak-ral's kindness. "I think we should try and get some rest.."

At those words, Tak-ral had moved away and back to the tree he had first pounced from. He used his claws to help him up the bark, low groans coming from him as he had to apply pressure to his bad leg. Eventually, he managed to get back up onto the branch. Aria could see his legs and tail swaying under the branch he was sitting on, the latter making light flicks and curls that she found herself admiring with an awed expression. That was until the neko's black cape had come down from the tree, landing near the fire and breaking her focus. 

Assuming that this was meant for her, she crawled over and picked it up, returning back to the fire and laying down on the soft grass. She wrapped the cape around herself; it didn't do much for warmth, but it was something to at least keep her now exposed legs warm. That, and she found something relaxing about having his scent close, even if she could tell how his fear of water had affected his hygiene. 

Everything she found weird about him, she realised, could all he answered because of his and his mind's situation. They didn't have proper houses, good clothes, resources other than food and trees..nothing. And yet here he was, sparing her life and offering her as much comfort he could provide. 'How can these creatures be monsters..?' she ended up thinking to herself, although Aria had never fully believed the lies her father told her.

'Enough about them..they're away now. Out of sight, out of mind..right?' 

She wanted to forget about her old life. At least for a moment. And maybe this new life of the woods, with no one but Tak-ral for company, might be better. It already was starting to be anyway.

With a soft yawn and the slow closing of her eyes, Aria watched his tail for a few more seconds before finally falling into a deep slumber, holding the cape close to her.

\----------

Yesterday. It was almost baffling to Tak-ral how that was accurate, for it felt like many years had passed. That was the only way he could make sense of going from rescuing slaves to watching his brothers and sisters, killed or enslaved themselves, and was now in the forest with a human helping him.

That same human was now what he was looking at from his tree, the morning sun making her slumped silhouette stand out on the grass. He could see her clinging to the cape he had offered her, watching her seemingly try and hide herself.into it while she slept. It was enough to crack a smile on the hybrid's lips; why he enjoyed this sight was completely new grounds to him but he wasn't exactly going to complain. At least there was something to smile about.

The thoughts lodged in the back of his head, but he chose to ignore his sadness for now. His hunger now had a louder voice than his regret.

The slow descent from the branch to the ground was only emphasised with brief stabs of pain from his wound: while he knew that his body would adjust gradually, Tak-ral was finding it difficult to be patient. He was having to carefully place his feet at every step, lest he put too much weight on his injured leg. 

Soon, he took a position just by the edge of the river. Being experienced with the wilderness, he knew that being by the place where the stream fell was a good fishing area: the fish leaping into the stream below made for a much easier catch. And his claws certainly made for good catchers.

He waited. Waited with his claws protruding, his ears raised to focus his hearing, and his eyes gazing upon the stream. Just a few fish would be enough to last him..to last them. 

A rustling of movement from behind. 

Tak-ral turned sharply, his instinct forcing him to view the source of the sound. But when his eyes landed on Aria, who had woken up and was now staring right back at him, he realised he was being foolish.

And to only add insult to injury, a fish flew briefly from the water, mocking his lack of awareness until the splash brought his attention back to the water. He groaned, his tail and ears flicking in annoyance.

He heard a laugh. A soft, but hunoured laugh from behind him. Was she mocking him as well? 

"You should calm yourself, Tak-ral. Neither I or the fish plan to hurt you." her teasing voice called from behind him, the closer distance indicating she had moved nearer as she spoke to him. But his temper made him ignore her words and look at the stream still, his ears twitching occasionally.

Her hand soon rested on his shoulder. It wasn't a sudden movement, as he was fearing, but a slow grip onto him with her warm palm and fingers. Tak-ral could even feel his tail slowing in its sway, relaxing at her touch.

"Maybe I'll be the one to protect you." she had spoke again, her voice coming from beside him. Although this time, she didn't seem to be jesting as much as her last comment. Tak-ral softly nodded to show he had heard what she said, the slow absence of her hand on his shoulder leaving its warmth and weight on him still, hearing her move back, but only a short distance. He took that as her getting comfortable again, thankful that she didn't run away. Even though she easily could.

A flash of his hand, and a splash of the water. His eyes had noticed an irregular movement, and now, he had a rather large fish at hand. His claws were sunk deep into the animal, feeling strains of guilt flow through him as he watched the life in the fish slip away with each twitch of its body. But he wasted no time, cutting it with his second hand and putting the fish out of its misery. 

He had now noticed Aria staring at him, presuming that she had been looking the entire time he had caught it. And that only sent his sense of humility to a higher level than before. His eyes darted back to the fish in his clutches, taking it to the ashy fire and finding a suitable stick that could hold up the meat over the fire, feeling her hand slide off of him as the distance between them grew once again.

"Why are you sad?" her voice broke their brief silence, "Isn't it not a thrill to hunt? I thought you would since.."

The Nekomimi would simply shake his head while she spoke, which made her voice trail off. Even though his eyes were far too busy being focused on the fish he was now impaling to a stick, he could feel her own gazing upon him. Perhaps even of surprise.

He heard her mumble something to herself. The words garbled together to him, as he wasn't fluent enough to understand the words he could still hear, but the term 'animal' was clearly said through her mumbles. A word that only made Tak-ral lower his head more over the fire, as if the sight of the burning fish held more interest despite that being a massive lie.

A pair of arms very slowly wrapped around his waist; two snakes with soft pale skin cooling around their surprised prey. Then followed the warmth of Aria once again, even though Tak-ral.could feel his tail standing on end.

He would have pushed her off. He knew that he was capable of making a sound that warranted her immediate release of him. But..he couldn't. Or he wouldn't. He wasn't so sure..but his chest felt a little lighter at her touch. Like a weight had been pulled away from her comforting hold.

"You aren't a monster, are you..?" her soft voice spoke again from behind. Although now her words landed closer to one of his ears, causing it to twitch at the warm exhaled of breath. His head shook in response.

No. He wasn't a monster. And certainly not one that found the murder of animals enjoyable. That's what he would have said if he could actually speak her tongue. But his motion seemed to be enough, for she pulled away soon after. 

"Good..because I don't think monsters get forced to take a bath. You on the other hand.."

An almost mischievous giggle from Aria was followed by the whining from Tak-ral. 

'There is no way she's getting me into that water..'

Oh but how wrong Tak-ral was.


	6. Chapter 6

"That's not good enough!"

The angered voice of Lagneía echoed throughout the stone corridor, coming from the opened bedroom of Aria. He had entered only a few moments ago, when word start to spread around the castle about her disappearance. And now, Sophia was having to endure his furious wrath.

"But sir, I don't know what else to tell you! She was here only hours ago! I saw her in bed and-!"

A slap across her cheek was the response Sophia had gotten. "Lies!" Another slap. "All lies! You know where she is! I know it!"

"I d-don't!" She managed a reply, her stature slightly broken by his assault upon her. "I've no clue where she has gone. Please..control yourself!"

Lagneía was readying his hand once more, his eyes locked on hers with venomous in his very gaze. The moment dragged on, his angered breath exhaling loudly before he finally lowered his hand.

"Check everywhere. Again. And then again. You will find my princess, no...my Queen..and you'll be grateful I don't throw you to in the chains with the other useless beasts."

And with that, Sophia was left in Aria's room, Lagneía leaving for the stairs. She kept in her tears until she heard the third and fourth step come to pass. And her hushed sobs for the sixth.

Meanwhile, the man in gold had travelled down the steps, heading further down than the first floor, towards the guarded doors of the castle dungeons. The lights dimmed to only a few torches, which dotted the walls of the castle's prison.

"He's ready, sir." A guard in front of a cell spoke when Lagneía approached. The man in gold nodded, handing the guard a reasonably weighted bag of coins as he passed. The guard left, supposedly going on patrol and far away from the dungeon.

Lights that once resonated from the torches on the walls began to be snuffed out. The shadow of the approaching Lagneía would become dimmer on the opposite walls of the corner cell, its only occupant now watching with timid eyes.

The last torch was being held by Lagneía, the bright beacon of illumination filling the cell and the catpive's face with colour, only for it to pale at the sight of the man in gold.

Pained noises were muttered from the drying lips of the captee. Barely even the mews that he used to be able to make. Fear was heavily present in his widening gaze, more so as Lagneía picked up something from the table beside the prisoner. 

"You filthy animal.." Lagneía still retained the aggressive tone, yet it seemed to have grown tenfold addressing the Nekomimi. "All of you..nothing but thieving, murderous animals!"

He lunged towards the prisoner, who's screams for help soon turned to howls of pain, echoing throughout the dark dungeon. 

The blade did its work by the hand of the golden knight. It cut deep, not deep enough to strike arteries, but the dagger steadily left a cut across the Nekomimi's chest. This scar was partnered with another next to it of a same length, both over the prisoner's right pectoral muscle. A low, drawn out groan was the most the hostage could make, his entire body fighting to move away from the blade. 

When his work was done, Lagneía had almost a smile on his lips. A light relief of his anger, only to be replaced by a chilling grin. 

"I hope you thought it was worth it. Sacrificing yourself, with your other friends, all to help your leader kidnap one of our own..did I forget to mention that?" 

The Nekomimi, now breathing heavily to distract his mind from the pain despite the bleeding on his chest, rolled his eyes back up to the man. And Lagneía took some pride in the brief, yet apparent, look of confusion.

"Oh yes..that's all you gained. You made a great distraction." his soft voice, somehow more frightening than his shouting previously, left his lips as he put the weapon back on the table. "So until we find him..you'll stay here, for as long as we see fit, in this prison cell. How fitting..an savage beast locked in a cage."

And with those final words, Lagneía moved put of the cell, shutting the iron bar door while still keeping his gaze on the Nekomimi. The prisoner now had his head hung low, his long brown hair shadowing his face, but it was audibly clear that he was sobbing.

\----------

The night pressed on, the light drizzle of rain parttering against the tree leaves and bark. The large forest was alive with movement as the wind blew the branches back and forth in a steady rhythm. Despite the noise, it was still a peaceful night. Far from the city, and the many conflicts it had.

Using the larger bushes and branches for cover, Tak-ral pressed on with Aria following behind. She was very confused as to what he was doing, as she had tried to voice several times. Including right at that moment again.

"Tak-ral..as much as I love wandering around in the rain, where on earth are we going? Can you say..anything to help?" Her patience was running dry as the rain began to build and soak her dress, even with how short it had been cut.

He stopped. His tail made a slight jitter of movement as he turned to face her, his face expressing his own agitation.

He pressed a hand to his heart, then gestured it towards the direction he was walking.

It took her a few moments to fully understand what he had said, slowly nodding and replying. "Your home..right?"

He gave a nod, his feet stepping backwards a few steps, encouraging her to keep going.

"But..what about me? Not to bring up bad memories, but your people don't exactly like my kind." 

He didn't respond, and continued in the direction he was going originally. She followed suit, trying to keep up with him as his pace quickened.

"Hello? I'm sorry, but what is your plan? Say I lost my ears and t-?"

Aria went too far. He didn't turn around, didn't lash out at that sentence, but the way his hair stood up on his head made her shut up very quickly.

"I'm sorry." Aria mumbled. "But..what are we going to do? Really? You're not going to let them kill me..right?"

"N..n." he heard his voice trying to work out a word; he seemed to be picking up well on what she tried teaching him. "No." he finally managed.

"Well then what-?"

"S....sto.." Tak-ral halted, putting up a hand in front of her. "Stop.."

Aria looked at him confused, seeing that they had stopped underneath a tree, the ground around them growing damp and muddy each second they stood there.

"W-?" Aria was immediately shushed by a flick of his hand, his tail standing on edge in the air, his head aimed at a few bushes nearby.

He let out a soft growl, his hand moving towards the handle of his sword. 

A response of a light hiss came from the bushes he grew suspicious of, followed by a furry pair of ears on a head moving out of the bushes.

A single Nekomimi, covered in mud and plastered leaves from the bushes, slowly emerged. They had their back hunched, a dagger with a tooth as the blade in their hand. They too had their tail raised, but were looking right at Aria.

She stayed behind Tak-ral as much as she could, her eyes wide with fear. She clutched at his back, feeling his chest vibrate from his growls and mews to the other hybrid.

Aria watched as they seemed to converse, exchanging everything between meows and soft hisses and growls, the latter being followed by Tak-ral keeping closer distance to her. From what she gathered, he was convincing his fellow brethren to let him take her to their home.

'Their home..where could that even be? They don't seem to live in this forest. I mean, even that prince couldn't find them, not even some one to c-'

Her train of thought stopped, and she immediately broke the conversation between the hybrids. "Please, you have to-"

A loud hiss came from the other Nekomimi, their tail now poised even higher. Tak-ral looked at her and shook his head, clearly insuring she didn't speak.

"No but..its serious!" she exclaimed. The hybrid hissed again, but now she looked right at them to meet their deathly gaze. "You need to run. Get everyone away from here. My..the prince is going to kill all of you! Please just-"

That seemed to deeply offend them, as within seconds the hybrid pounced in her direction, their dagger poised and aiming to kill her.

Tak-ral hissed, drawing his sword and moving in front of Aria to block the attack. But he miscalculated his move; the dagger stuck his hand, cutting the back of it with the tip of the tooth.

Seeing what had just happened, the hybrid immediately retreated back, their eyes wide as they stared at Tak-ral. He was in clear pain, his sword dangling from the loose grip of his injured hand, but his face was set in determination. He wasn't giving up.

Aria tried to speak again. But this time, A little more care went in her words. "I'm with him. I..want to help you all. What my father did, what the prince did, i.." she closed her eyes for a moment, truly thinking about what she was about to say. What she actually felt. And when she thought about the way the prince treated his kind..her blood started to boil even just thinking of his face.

"I don't want this to happen anymore. I want peace. So please.." She moved to look at Tak-ral's hand, seeing the cut beginning to seep blood from his hand. She ripped off a sleeve from her dress, her eyes now focused on the other hybrid as she tore more fabric from her clothes. "Let us help you. And we can all survive this."

The moment that passed was nothing but silence. The peaceful rain, the slight gasps of pain by Tak-ral as Aria patched another of his wounds. But soon ebough, the other hybrid sighed, and lowered the hand wielding the dagger. They had a stern look of distrust, but it was good enough for Aria that they weren't trying to murder her again.

"Thank you." she said, a slight smile appearing on the lips she had been badly biting into from fear. 

"Don't.." the hybrid tried to word; another speaker, it seemed. "Don't make me...regret this. You are..still an enemy. You..have to prove..yourself to..all of us now."

And she would. 

Helping Tak-ral put his sword back, and offer him a hand with helping him walk, she nodded at the other hybrid and started walking as a group. All headed for what she hoped would still be there home. 

Aria prayed to herself that they weren't too late.


End file.
